President Bola Tinubu on Monday convened a closed-door meeting with the country’s top security chiefs and intelligence leaders at the State House in Abuja.
In attendance were key military officials, including the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Anele. Also present were the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and other senior security officials were also part of the high-level discussions.
Although details of the meeting were not made public, it comes at a time of rising insecurity across the country. The meeting follows a controversial airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force in Borno State, which reportedly led to the deaths of over 100 civilians.
The operation, carried out on Saturday at Jilli Market near the Borno-Yobe border, was aimed at suspected Boko Haram hideouts. While the Air Force stated that it conducted precision strikes on terrorist targets, it did not confirm reports of civilian casualties or acknowledge that a market was affected.
However, the Presidency defended the action, explaining that the area had been infiltrated by insurgent groups. According to presidential aide Tope Ajayi, the location had evolved into a strategic hub for Boko Haram and ISWAP activities, making it a legitimate military target.
